Months had passed since the last dinner with the Virs, and Iridea was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the items she had specially ordered from Mr. Veyar.
The call finally came.
Iridea's phone vibrated on her desk. She grabbed it, her heart racing.
"Ms. Iridea, the items… they're done," Mr. Veyar said.
A grin spread across her lips. "Thank you, Mr. Veyar. I'll drop by later."
---
The familiar chime echoed as Iridea pushed open the shop door. Mr. Veyar greeted her with a warm smile.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Solenne."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Veyar. Are they ready?" she asked, her eyes glinting with excitement.
Mr. Veyar nodded, pulling out a small velvet box. Inside, the fragile gems glimmered softly, There were three sizes as she had requested.
"All in here, Miss Solenne," Mr. Veyar said, carefully closing the box.
Iridea's fingers brushed over the box, feeling the faint warmth of the gems within. "Thank you, Mr. Veyar," she said, her tone unusually polite. With that, she left, the box tucked securely in her bag.
---
Once home, Iridea locked her door and pulled out the box, laying the gems across her desk. Their delicate surfaces shimmered under the soft glow of her lamp.
The smallest gem, lay in the center of her palm. It was infused with a soft pink color, the emotion of gentle affection. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her energy.
Colors pulsed beneath her skin as she pressed her thumb against the gem. The pink intensified, swirling within the gem like a tiny storm. When she pulled her thumb away, the gem remained bright, its color steady and vibrant.
Iridea smiled. "Perfect."
One by one, she infused different colors into the gems , yellow for joy, blue for sadness, violet for longing. Each gem was carefully placed into a small protective case, secured to prevent accidental shattering.
But the real test would be tomorrow.
---
The Next Day – In the Classroom
Iridea sat at her usual seat, her eyes scanning the room. That's when she spotted Liora, a classmate known for her usually bright, bubbly personality. Today, however, Liora sat slumped over her desk, her eyes downcast.
Perfect target.
Iridea slipped a yellow gem, the one she had infused with happiness, from her pocket, its surface gleaming with a faint glow. With a casual, friendly smile, she approached Liora.
"Hey, Liora," Iridea said, her tone light. "Are you okay?"
Liora sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Not really. Just… having a bad day."
Iridea nodded sympathetically, leaning forward. "Here," she said, reaching out as if to pat Liora's hand. But instead, her fingers brushed against the yellow gem, sending a small, controlled burst of her infused energy through it.
A soft, golden glow emanated from the gem as it shattered into tiny particles, disintegrating like fairy dust. The particles drifted through the air, briefly sparkling before fading.
Liora blinked, her expression shifting. The sadness in her eyes melted away, replaced by a soft, warm smile.
"You know what? I feel… better," Liora said, her eyes brightening. "Thanks, Irid."
Iridea nodded, her smile polite. "Anytime."
As she walked away, her heart raced with excitement.
"It worked," she whispered to herself, her hands trembling slightly. "It actually worked."
For the first time, she had successfully transferred emotions from a gem to another person. But as she slipped her remaining gems back into her pocket, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this was only the beginning.
------
Inside the Lucents' Lab – Dr. Xevin's Chamber
The Lucents' lab was abuzz with activity. Researchers moved in and out of various sections, each focused on their respective projects. In a more secluded corner, Dr. Xevin stood before a screen displaying the schematics of the newly developed charm.
Unlike the previous generation of charms, these had been embedded with tracking chips that could monitor the type and intensity of emotions absorbed by the Aurelith gems.
Dr. Xevin's eyes gleamed as he watched the data feed scrolling across the screen. Emotional surges, echoes, fluctuations , all recorded and categorized.
"This," he said, addressing his team of researchers, "is the future of our charm system."
He pointed to the diagram. "The chip not only absorbs emotional energy but also stores it as raw data. We can track which emotions are being absorbed the most ,anger, sadness, joy and identify the most potent emotional states for energy extraction."
A researcher raised his hand. "But sir, we still haven't figured out how to reintegrate the absorbed emotions back into the gems. They remain as raw data, unusable as a power source."
Dr. Xevin's eyes narrowed. "Then we keep searching. If we can find a way to manipulate that energy , to convert it into something usable , we could create a reservoir of emotional power. Something far more potent than the current charms."
Another researcher leaned forward. "But how do we even begin? Reintegrating emotional energy into gems requires an understanding of how emotions are embedded in the first place."
Dr. Xevin's lips thinned. "And that is precisely what we will focus on. Until then, we monitor. Track. Collect. Every emotion, every surge, every echo , it's all data. And data is power."
---
On the other side of the lab, Magnus Vir stood in a separate, more private room. The only other person present was a Lucent researcher, the only one Magnus trusted. The two men stood over a table on which a collection of Null Gems lay.
Each gem was dark and lifeless, devoid of any visible color.
The researcher frowned, holding one of the gems up to the light. "Still no reaction?"
Magnus shook his head, his expression grim. "None. No colors, no pulses. It's as if they're completely empty."
"But these gems belonged to Nullen," the researcher said, his voice hushed. "Even if he's a Dyscol, they should have absorbed something, right?"
Magnus's jaw clenched. "That's what bothers me. If they were truly null, they wouldn't have shown any reaction. But some of these gems flickered once or twice before going dark."
The researcher set the gem down carefully. "Have you considered that Nullen might not be as null as we think?"
Magnus's eyes darkened. "Which is why we need to continue this research. If we can figure out why the gems responded even for a moment then maybe we can help him."
The researcher nodded. "I'll keep this between us."
Magnus's expression softened. "Thank you. And remember, not a word to Dr. Xevin ."